A container for a dispensable product

ABSTRACT

A container for carrying a dispensable product such as a food product or condiment includes a hollow flexible body having a closed base and a peripheral wall extending therefrom to define an open top, and integral device in the form of a tab which can be manipulated in one mode to remove a membrane to provide access to the interior of the container and in a second mode to open a path through the wall of the container through which product can flow as by being squeezed. The dispensable product may be in the form of a paste, gel, sauce or the like.

The invention relates to a container for dispensing a product, particularly to a container for carrying a product such as a food product or condiment which is often in the form of a paste, gel, sauce or the like.

Such food products or condiments are often put up for use or sale in containers such as bottles or jars. These containers usually have a lid which has to be removed more or less entirely to gain access to the product. The user may not wish to use all of the contents at one sitting, and moreover has no control over the direction in which the product is to be dispensed, for example when dispensing mustard for embellishing a hamburger.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to seek to mitigate these disadvantages.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a container for dispensing a product such as a condiment, comprising a hollow flexible body, a closed base, a peripheral wall extending from the base to define a top, and a membrane adapted to close the top, characterised by the container body being unitary, by an integral device of the body adapted to be manipulated in two modes (A,B) to provide access to the interior of the body, by in one mode the membrane being removable to provide said access, and by in the second mode to open a path through the wall of the container through which product can flow, and by the container being adapted to dispense a product in both modes (A,B).

In a preferred embodiment, the wall suitably terminates opposite the base in a laterally extending rim to which the membrane is adhered. For example, the membrane may be adhered to the rim by an adhesive which may allow the membrane to be peeled back.

The rim may extend orthogonally to the wall, or may be inclined with respect to the direction in which the wall extends.

In order to facilitate manipulation of the tab in the one or second mode it may be of substantially triangular shape in plan and may extend beyond the lateral extent of the rim, and may further be defined by opposite notches in the rim. Moreover, the body may be of substantially rectangular shape and the tab may be located at a corner thereof. This provides for ease of construction, and use, particularly when the corners are rounded.

The body may be formed by any suitable means from any suitable material, for example by being vacuum formed from 0.4 polystyrene to provide a capacity or volume in the range 20 mls to 25 mls, suitably about 22 mls.

Moreover, the body and membrane, or foil, may be made from different materials, for example the membrane may be made from material selected from a group comprising metal and plastic, for example for the latter polyethylene or polypropylene.

Again, in a preferred embodiment, the base may comprise an area defined by external indicia which when pressed under finger or thumb pressure may flex the base inwardly to facilitate passage by squeezing of the product through the path in the second mode. There may be three such indicia, which are separate and suitably concentric.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a container for dispensing a product, particularly to a container for carrying a product such as a food product or condiment comprising a container as hereinbefore defined and a condiment contained therein.

Embodiments of a container for dispensing a product are hereinafter described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings.

FIG. 1 shows schematically part of the underside of a first embodiment of container embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic view similar to that of FIG. 1 during an opening process to provide a path in the second mode, B;

FIG. 3 shows schematically a view of the container dispensing product in the container through the path in the second mode;

FIG. 4 shows schematically a view of the container after product has been emptied;

FIG. 5 shows schematically an underside view of a container similar to that of FIGS. 1 to 4, to a scale larger than that of those Figs.;

FIG. 6 shows schematically a perspective view of the underside of a further container embodying the invention; and

FIG. 7 shows schematically an enlarged perspective view of the container of FIG. 6.

Referring firstly to FIGS. 1 to 4, there is shown a container 1 for carrying a dispensable product 2 such as a food product or condiment, comprising a hollow flexible body 3 having a closed base 4 and a peripheral wall 5 extending therefrom to define an open top 6, and an integral device in the form of a tab 7 which can be manipulated in one mode A, FIG. 5, to remove a membrane 9 to provide access to the interior of the container and in a second mode B, FIG. 4, to open a path 8 through the wall 5 of the container 1 through which product can pass as by squeezing of the container. The dispensible product 2 may be in the form of a paste, gel, sauce or the like.

The body 3 is in the embodiment generally rectangular, the corners 9 being smoothed or rounded. Dispensable product 2 such as a condiment eg tomato sauce, mustard, mayonnaise, vinegar or the like is charged into the body 3 through the open top 6, and is closed by the membrane 9, otherwise also referred to as a foil, for example of metal, which is secured by suitable adhesive to the upper surface of a peripheral rim or flange 10, the adhesive being such as to allow peeling of the membrane 9 from the flange 10 and hence from the body 3.

To gain access to the whole, or substantially whole, volume of the container 1 the membrane or foil 9 is lifted and then peeled back from the rim 10 at the tab 7, to which the membrane 9 is not adhered, to or towards the opposite side of the body 3, see FIG. 5. This action exposes the product 2 in the body 3 so that a food such as a French fry or chip can be dipped into the product 2, which may for example be sauce such as tomato ketchup, mustard or mayonnaise. Or the whole product 2 can be scooped or poured out of the container 1 when the membrane 9 is peeled back.

In an alternative opening method, the tab 7 is twisted or lifted out of the plane of the rim 10 to allow gripping, lifting and then peeling back of the membrane 9 as described with reference to FIG. 5 above. These operations comprise the one mode A referred to above, and shown in FIG. 5.

As shown in all the Figs. the tab 7 is defined by opposed notches 11 in the rim 10. The tab 7 is integral with the material of the body 3 so that when it is twisted out of the plane of the rim 10 as shown in FIG. 2 and pulled upwardly as viewed in that Fig. the material of the body 3 at the corner 9 is removed to form the path 8 or spout through which the product 2 may pass as by being squeezed in a controlled desired direction and amount. This is the second mode B referred to above.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 4, the membrane can be torn when peeled back. In FIG. 5 there is shown an embodiment in which the tab 7′ is larger than that 7 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. In this case, as shown, the membrane 9 can be peeled back without being torn as there is a larger surface area of the membrane which spreads the force of the pull on the membrane, and so it is not torn.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, the construction of container 20 is similar to that of FIGS. 1 to 5, but in this case there is on the underside of the tab 21, which is of triangular shape in plan, a lever element in the form of a suitably integral enlargement 22 at the root of the tab 21 adjacent the corner 23. When the tab 21 is twisted and pulled in the second mode, the enlargement 22 acts on the body 24 at the corner 23 to assist in tearing the body to open the path for passage for passage out of the container as by squeezing.

The exterior of the base 25 also has an area defined by indicia 26 which when depressed under thumb or finger pressure flex the base 25 inwardly, i.e. towards the interior of the container 20, to assist in urging product out of the container through the path in the second mode. There are three indicia 26 in the embodiment in the form of three separate concentric formations. These may be raised or depressed formations which do not diminish the overall uniform depth of the body. In the case of the indicia being raised as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the outer formation leads into the outer edge at the corner by the tab 21 to form the path, or spout, 8. To form the path, or spout, 8 the tab 21 is grasped manually and twisted, as in the embodiments of FIGS. 1-5, and then torn towards the body, this being allowed via the notches 11.

The embodiments described with reference to the drawings have unitary bodies which are suitably formed in one piece by a suitable forming process such as vacuum forming. The material used in such a forming process is preferably polystyrene which provides a body which is tearable or frangible owing to the forming process. It will be understood, however, that lines of weakness 30 (see FIGS. 1 and 5) may be formed in the material of the body and/or tab 7 to assist in forming the path 8. Where polystyrene is the material used, the wall thickness of the body can be of varying thicknesses, suitably in the range 0.1 to 0.4 mm.

The volume of the container in the embodiments shown in the drawings is suitably substantially 22 mls, having a depth of 20 mm, a width of 40 mm and a length of 60 mm.

It will be understood however that modifications are possible within the scope of the invention. For example, the volume of the container may be in the range 20-30 mls, and suitably substantially about 27 mls. Such a size allows for a weight of product of about 27 g.

Moreover, the membrane or foil may be of aluminium, which itself may be coated with a plastic coating of for example polyethylene, polypropylene or polystyrene. The body of the container may also comprise a metal. As an alternative to adhesive for adhering the membrane or foil to the body, it will be understood that any other suitably adhering process may be used, for example by welding compatible materials together during production using heat and or pressure.

Furthermore, it will be understood that application of thumb or finger pressure on the side(s) and/or base of the container during dispensing product as by squirting provides a piston action by pressing on the membrane or foil 9 and/or squeezing opposite walls 5 of the body 3 towards one another so that product is urged out of the container in a controlled manner through the path 8 in the second mode B.

It will be understood too that the materials used may be chosen with the product in mind, thus the material chosen for the container may vary for different types of product such as condiments. For example polystyrene may be selected when the product is tomato sauce or ketchup, while polystyrene may be more suitable for say salad dressings.

In another embodiment, not shown, the unitary container may include an internal partition defining two discrete compartments each for receiving a separate product, for example one may contain ketchup and the other mustard. Both compartments are closed by the single membrane 9, and in the second mode B both compartments are exposed to the path 8 so that product from both may be dispensed through the path 8. 

1. A container for dispensing a product such as a condiment, comprising a hollow flexible body, a closed base, a peripheral wall extending from the base to define a top, and a membrane adapted to close the top, the container body being unitary, by an integral device of the body adapted to be manipulated in two modes to provide access to the interior of the body, by in one mode the membrane being removable to provide said access, and by in the second mode to open a path through the wall of the container through which product can flow, and by the container being adapted to dispense a product in both modes.
 2. A container according to claim 1, wherein the wall terminates opposite the base in a laterally extending rim to which the membrane is releasably adhered.
 3. A container according to claim 2, wherein the body is generally rectangular in plan, and in that the device is located at one corner of the rectangle.
 4. A container according to claim 3, wherein the device comprises a tab defined by opposed notches in the rim.
 5. A container according to claim 4, wherein the tab is twistable to open the path.
 6. A container according to claim 5, wherein the tab protrudes beyond the lateral extent of the rim.
 7. A container according to claim 6, wherein the tab is of substantially triangular shape in plan.
 8. A container according to claim 3, wherein the tab has a lever element adapted to assist in opening the path.
 9. A container according to claim 8, wherein the lever element comprises an enlargement on the underside, in use, of the tab adjacent a corner of the body.
 10. A container according to claim 1, wherein the base comprises an area which can be flexed under thumb or finger pressure to assist in passage of the product through the path in the second mode.
 11. A container according to claim 10, wherein the area is defined by a plurality of indicia of the base.
 12. A container according to claim 11, wherein there three separate indicia comprising surface profiles of the base.
 13. A container according to claim 1, wherein the unitary body has internal compartments respectively for different products.
 14. A container according to claim 1, wherein the body and the membrane comprise different materials.
 15. A container according to claim 14, wherein the material of the membrane is selected from a group comprising metal and plastic.
 16. A condiment dispenser, comprising a container according to claim 1 and a condiment contained therein. 